What is a placenta burial ceremony? Why I chose one and what that looked like for us.
August 2023 I freebirthed my first child at home in a water pool.
Cue relief, cue joy, cue… oh something is not right here…
I discuss in more detail the events of the story of my birth and placenta in a separate blog piece.
In summary, I had to go in an ambulance to hospital after losing a lot of blood at home as the placenta did not release.
It had to be manually removed, followed by a three night stay in hospital - that was not on my dream board and was not what I had been trying to manifest.
But there we were.
I had thought very fondly about my placenta. Until it didn't release that is. Now I felt resentment, grief and frustration for what we went through.
At prenatal circles held by my doula, I’d enjoyed learning about how different cultures view it.
For example some indigenous cultures view it as the baby’s first / best friend or spirit guide.
There is a book called “Placenta the forgotten chakra” which I came across and thought fascinating, especially as I talk about chakras a lot with my clients (well anyone who will listen really).
I was horrified to learn that only until recently (and maybe even still in some countries) hospitals sold placentas for cosmetic use. Think rich lady face creams! Or scientific research.
Nowadays, they are cut and taken away without most women even seeing them and then incinerated (btw absolutely no judgment if you had this or want this).
Originally the plan was to have the placenta sent to be dried and made into capsules to consume during the postpartum recovery.
There are all sorts of health benefits - mentally, emotionally and physically - that many people report. These include increased milk flow, hormone regulation, improvements with skin and hair (only now, nearly 5 months on is my hair starting to fall away less!)
I was really looking forward to it.
However, my temperature then spiked in hospital and they thought I might have an infection.
I was given lots of antibiotics on a drip and closely monitored.
When the placenta company found out, they said they couldn't risk making the placenta into capsules in case the infection came from my womb or the placenta itself.
This has never been actually confirmed by the hospital. To this day, I don't know what caused the spike. They sent off lots of tests and they never told me exactly what happened.
Anyhoo.
They had to send the placenta back from Scotland. So we essentially paid 100 pounds to have it transported around the country and then put back in our freezer.
“So what to do with the placenta in your freezer? you might ask. Good question…
Placenta options
I had heard from several people I know, including my Doula about burying the placenta.
In many indigenous cultures they would bury the placenta as a symbol of grounding your baby's soul into Earth and connect to the ancestors. Ground in their spirit into this incarnation to help them in their life.
Some release it into the sea so that the spirit of the child is an adventurous one.
Others use it for art or eat it at home (definitely do your research for that).
As readers may know, I love trees (having a past life as a Sequoia tree is one reason). So that's what we decided to do.
We were given a fig tree by my mum in this lovely big pot. We're renting at the moment, so didn't want to plant it in a garden and then have to leave it behind one day.
It is winter, which really isn't an ideal time to be planting anything, but I wanted it out of the freezer. I wanted to be done with that part of it all.
So as part of my closing of the bones ceremony from https://www.mysacredbirth.co.uk/ , my Doula helped with the ceremony of burying the placenta.
What did this look like?
We put some potting soil in the pot two thirds high and made space for the tree by pressing the smaller pot containing the tree into the soil. This created just the right amount of space for the tree and roots once taken out of the nursery pot it was sold in.
We had some cacao, discussed the birth and how I was feeling about everything, did some drumming and created sacred space with our intentions, burnt some sage to clear the energy. We then put the placenta into the pot, surrounded by soil.
This was the first time I had seen it. I was expecting it to be in broken, sad looking pieces. However as it had been frozen in a tub, it had been compacted into one piece and to my relief it looked better than I expected. I am still sad I never got to see it in all its glory, but it is what it is.
I scattered some dried rose petals and flowers that my mum had given me on top, a nice nod to the maternal ancestral line.
We then put the tree into the pot (on top of the placenta) and covered it with soil.
The placenta is now completely covered, and the tree roots also covered.
When I say tree, really it looks more like a long twig right now because all the leaves have fallen off and it’s a young tree. Hopefully they will blossom again. There is a little fig on there so it's still alive.
Next, I read my words and blessings then channeled some light language to energetically support my blessings and intentions. I will share a video of that on my socials.
That was that really and I have to say I did feel much lighter for it. This ceremony and burial helped me release the resentment and move forward. It felt good to honour and appreciate the placenta for the positives.
It did keep my little gorgeous baby alive and growing so well. I have tuned in energetically to the process of the retained placenta and the blood loss, and concluded that it was part of some ancestral healing, some energetic release as well as physical.
I’ll share more with the birth story, but here are some of the main points:
I share these personal insights because I hope it may help someone who goes through something similar one day who is looking for answers like I was. I found very little to help me understand things on a deeper energetic level.
As I love to explore deeper, complex questions as part of my client work, I eventually was able to use my tools and skills to gain some clarity for me.
Of course, it won't be the exact same for anyone else but it may inspire some journaling questions or ideas for energy work themselves. That is my intention and hope.
Energetic exploration
I tuned into spirit, oracle cards, my guides and my highest self and I asked the question,
What are the lessons from this process, in particular with the retained placenta and the blood loss?
This is what I was told:
Due to events in my life and also ancestral patterns of misguided love, lack of love and betrayal, my heart had partly closed up. Fear of rejection and hurt had erected some energetic barriers. This process (retained placenta, blood loss) was to help open up to unconditional support and when vulnerable and weak, to call in help and feel loved. To love and care for my inner child, who felt so overwhelmed, scared and confused.
All of this to help me open up to even more expansive love for my daughter.
Furthermore, to help bring me closer to my own mum and the Eternal Mother, I worked with Kuan Yin and Mother Mary, Ascended Masters during pregnancy and postpartum and they are abundant with the energy of motherly love.
I later tuned into and connected to my Akashic records to ask for further insights on this. I asked, Are there any lessons or insights into my birth experience with Lyra to help me heal and raise my vibration?
I was told:
An empowering yet also humbling experience, a rite of passage and opportunity for ancestral healing, a clearing of inherited trauma, lack of self-worth, guilt, shame and fear.
As you take back control of the narrative of your health and wellbeing, you also take back your power and your voice. You chose to birth at home and you did it, a beautiful portal opened and you welcomed in your daughter, a wise beautiful soul. You released a lot and I can now call in even more light and love. It was to further push for absolute rest and an awareness of fragility of body, but also its resilience and healing power.
And so although it was not ideal, it is what it is. I'm at peace with it now and I hope that this little fig tree will grow and blossom. Like my daughter, Lyra.
Comment to let me know what you did with your placenta - it may inspire someone else, or if you have any questions about the process.
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